The Ten Commandments of Effective Training

As a personal trainer in Brighton I’ve come across much flawed thinking when it comes to fitness, so I thought I’d address some of these in my own Ten Commandments list! How many sins are you guilty of?

Feel free to share with someone who may need enlightening!

1- Thou shall not try to lose fat with exercise alone. As the old adage goes ‘Abs are made in the kitchen’! Effective training combined with a solid nutritional routine is the only gold standard worth pursuing.

2- Thou shall hire a professional experienced personal trainer!

3- Thou shall ignore advice to go ‘Beast Mode’ each and every session.Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Surgery rooms are littered with the inglorious injured who don’t schedule in significant recovery periods.

4. Thou shall throw your ‘Ab cradle’ machine into the bin and pretend it never existed.

5. Thou shall follow a mobility, yoga or specific stretching routine most days of the week. Mobility is important as strength. Longevity in the weights room comes with mobility.

6. Thou shall not fixate upon one methodology above all others. Cross Fit, Olympic lifting, Kettlebells or otherwise. Each one exists as a tool, nothing more.

7.Thou shall not covet thy neighbour’s strength gain, body shape or fitness. Everyone’s journey is different and you must use yourself, as you own marker. Are you better than you were last year, month, week or day - this is what counts.

8. Thou shall not quit if results don’t happen quickly. If you have spent a great deal of time and effort in getting out of shape then don’t expect to work half heartedly and get instant results.

9. Thou shall not lie to yourself or personal trainer. This is where tracking food consumption can be very helpful. Too often a stray cup cake will enter in each day unconsciously and you’ll scratch your head wondering why you’re not losing fat. The split personality consumption syndrome is real!

10. Thou shall realise that extrinsic motivation is not as important as intrinsic motivation. Your personal trainer can be an inspiring figure however if that is your sole motivation then you will fail. What is it inside of you that makes you want to succeed? These motivations are worth writing down and rereading to keep you on track.